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AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL MAGIC, LLC is an all-volunteer organization of scientists, engineers, and support staff headed by Marine Engineer Paul Grayson. Sponsors and team members are donating their Manpower, Materials, and Money to demonstrate how full automation can improve vehicle safety. This may save as many as 5,000 lives a month on US highways and eliminate the need for road-side memorials.
THE RACE 
To hurry the technology along, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is sponsoring a rally style race to be held Nov. 3, 2007 for fully automated vehicles.
This is the third DARPA Grand Challenge and the race has been moved from the desert to the city.
“Grand Challenge 2005 proved that autonomous ground vehicles can travel significant distances and reach their destination, just as you or I would drive from one city to the next. After the success of this event, we believe the robotics community is ready to tackle vehicle operation inside city limits.”
-- DARPA Director Dr. Tony Tether
In this third race our vehicle is required to operate in a dense urban area without a driver or remote control. This will require the autopilots interaction with traffic, dynamic mission re-planning, road-following, obeying traffic laws, merging into moving traffic, navigating traffic circles, negotiating busy intersections and avoiding obstacles. The race will be 60 miles of city driving with stops at specific points along the way simulating delivery truck stops which must be done in less than 6 hours safely and effectively in the mock urban area. First, second, third and participation prizes will be awarded.
SPONSORS, STRATEGIC ALLIANCE PARTNERS, and TEAM MEMBERS
AIM offers sponsors and team members the opportunity to help save lives by being part of this team and supporting its work.
Several documentary movies have been made about what we are working on. Nova has made their documentary, “The Great Robot Race”, available on-line at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/darpa/. Discovery Channel, National Geographic, History Channel, and several film makers have also made documentaries about the races that appear on TV from time to time.
For updates of AIMagic's progress along the road to full vehicle automation, sign up for our newsletter distributed by Robot Club of Traverse City MI through their Yahoo group connection. Sign up here!
A NOTE FROM PAUL GRAYSON:
Hi, I am Paul Grayson, team leader of AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL MAGIC, LLC (AIM), one of 89 teams preparing vehicles for the DARPA Urban Challenge race. We are an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization that is funded by donations from the general public and the sale of ad space on our demonstration / race vehicle. With this site, you will be able to look over my shoulder, and the rest of the team, while we prepare our automatic guided vehicle named AGV WENDY DARLING for the race. Look into the world of driverless vehicle building, see some of the things that I see, and puzzle over the problems of making vehicles driverless. Welcome to my world!
To read an ongoing blog in Control Engineering Magazine by Paul Grayson, click here.
If you would like to contact the founder of AIM, Paul Grayson, please send him an email.
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